Potato Council invokes wartime spirit

The Potato Council is urging growers to back its campaign to promote potato consumption using the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day on 8th May 2015.

The Potato Council has already asked levy payers to vote on a slogan and now hope that the industry will get behind its promotional efforts. It points out that as part of the ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign, cartoon characters ‘Potato Pete’ and ‘Doctor Carrot’ were introduced to spearhead the initiative; both had their own songs and recipe books and Potato Pete was used to ensure the public understood that not only are potatoes easy to grow, they are also wholesome and nutritious.

Potato Council marketing manager, Kate Cox, comments, “The VE Day 70th anniversary represents a unique opportunity for industry not only to celebrate the importance of the national crop, but to position the positive virtues of potatoes in a modern context. Heavily promoted as a good source of protein and energy in the 1940s, we want to remind consumers about the natural goodness of potatoes. They are a great source of fibre and potassium and because of their versatility and convenience are perfect for modern lifestyles.